Pakistan still in denial mode on 26/11 attacks, says India

India today said Pakistan was still in denial mode on the Mumbai terror attacks, even as Islamabad linked further progress in its 26/11 probe to New Delhi’s response to its 30 questions seeking more information.

New Delhi also said that Islamabad was showing reluctance in handing over those suspected to be involved in the Mumbai strike. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in Kolkata today that though Pakistan had promised to help India in the investigation, it was reluctant to hand over the ‘militants’ arrested by its authorities.

“Pakistan is still in the denial mode. We all know it,” Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting at the Indian Statistical Institute(ISI).

In Islamabad, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan would proceed with its probe into the Mumbai attacks after getting India’s response to a set of 30 questions seeking more information on the terror strikes.

“We are waiting for their response and we will take our next step in light of the information provided by India,” Qureshi told reporters yesterday on the sidelines of a function in Islamabad.

Pakistan was proceeding cautiously on the issue of the Mumbai attacks and had offered its complete support to India in probing the incident, he said. “We are treating the issue seriously and the effort is to get to the bottom of the matter.”